So, you’re a rising 9th grader, your first year of high school! As you begin your high school career, you will adjust to a new building, attend school as the youngest, meet lots of new people, acclimate to the expectations of high school teachers, have an array of clubs and activities in which to participate and make LOTS of new friends! How exciting!

The ability to understand what is read is one of the most important skills for a student to have to be successful in school. Since so much of what students learn is done so through reading textbooks, outside reading, notes, or written work, it is essential for them to perfect this skill!

Woohoo! School is out for the summer so learning can stop! Right? Wrong! Summer time provides the BEST opportunity students have to enrich their academic skills if they desire to get ahead before school begins again or catch up in skills if they ended the school year below average in an area.

A frequent question I am asked is whether a student should take the ACT in addition to the SAT. The answer is, “Absolutely!” While the SAT and ACT are very different tests, they both fulfill the same role in the college admissions process.

If you are a 9th grade student this year, you will take the new, redesigned PSAT in October 2015 as a sophomore. By now you have probably heard that the PSAT and SAT are changing, so I would like to share with you a few of the revisions.